Gas-producer.



G. H. T. ALSTON & P. T. HOUSTON.

GAS PRODUCER.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE za, 1913.

1 ,074,032, V Patented Sept. 23, 1913.

Fig. 1.

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@NTT STATES ATENT FENCE.

CHARLES HENRY THOMAS ALSTON, OF COUNTY OF CHESTER, AND PERCIVAL TURNER HOUSTON, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

GAS-PRODUCER.

remesa.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, CHARLES HENRY THOMAS ALs'roN and PnRcivAr. TURNER lilousroN, both subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing, respectively, in Cheshire, England, and London, England, and whose post-otlce addresses are, respectively, 34 Prussia road, Hoylake, in the county of Cheshire, England, and 4l Lloyds avenue, in the city of London, England, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements Relating to Gas-Producers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to gas producers and more particularly to those intended to burn bituminous coals, wood, peat, or other fuel giving off tarry vapors upon distillation.

The invention has for its object a gas producer which will destroy the nature of the hydrocarbon vapors, and cause them to be converted into carbon monoxid and hydrogen, and also which provides ready access to the producing and distilling chambers for the poking tools in the greatest possi? ble degree from the frontand top, so that if desired a battery of producers may be built in rows, or back to back, or both.

Gras producers are known in which there is a constricted area between an upper chamber and a lower chamber, air being introduced through the coking fuel in the upper chamber to carry off the gases therefrom by means of a flue or passage leading downward to the incandescent fuel in the lower chamber. Also, gas producers are known wherein the gases from the upper part of the producer are mixed with air or steam in a flue or pipe which conducts the gaseous mixture to the lower part of the incandescent fuel.

According to this invention, use is made of a producer' constructed with two main chambers, one above the other, which are connected by a constricted area', but the air and (or) steam inlets are arranged and the internal design of the producer is such that producergas (of at least burnable quality) shall be made in the upper chamber containing the green fuel and subsequently be mixed with air or air and steam partly in order to insure the combustion of the hydrocarbon distillates in a combustion chamber in proximity to the upper part of the incandescent fuel, and partly to insure that Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 28. 1913.

i atented Sept. 23, 1913.

Serial No. 776,415.

no fuel except such as has been coked and partly oxidized shall reach the lower chamber where the gas is lnally made by pass ing down through the incandescent fuel and from which the supply is drawn.

A gas producer constructed according to the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l represents a vertical section, and Fig. 2 is a section of a detail modilication.

lhe structure is preferably rectangular in horizontal section, a being` the front wall, Z1 the back wall, which slopes at toward the front, c the top carrying the hopper valve d, and c a sloping portion.

f is a douulwardly sloping wall or arch which divides the interior of the structure into an upper chan'lbcr y and a lower chamber i. The arch f stops short of the front wall a, leaving a space i which provides the constricted arca above mentioned. The upper side of the arch f forms a slope upon which the fuel rests and slides. The top of the upper chamber is also partly formed by the slope or arch c springing from tho front wall, the space between the vtop slope c and the bottom slope f increasing in crosssection toward the front or lower ends of the slopes. A separating or guiding plate is fixed between the top of the lower arch f and the back wall 7), while openings Z are formed through the top of the arch communicating between the upper chamber f/ and the space wt below the lower arch f, which space serves as a conibustion cl1ainber for the gases. The openings are provided with air inlets n. The bottom of the arch or slope may be :lorlncd hollow as an air chamber o, and passages or openings 72 therefrom may lead to the space on, below the arch Air is also introduced at 7'. Peking holes s may be fitted at the top, in the top slope or arch, in the front wall above the constricted area and below such area as shown, or in any other convenient posi tions. The outlet for the gas is at t in the .lower part of thc ln'oducer, which may also have an outlet a and Vater lute for the withdrawal of ashes.

The producer is preferably arranged to work under suction (but it can be arranged to work under pressure or partly suction and partly pressure) and the action is as follows:-Assuming the prodlu'ar to be in a propel.' state for working the draft at the bottom of the producer causes a vacuum effect in the combustion space m under the arch and also at'the constricted area t; but owing to the somewhat close packing of the fuel at this point (which may be assisted manually through the top poking holes) little air or gases pass downward at this point, The greatest portion of the air f1owing in at the front inlet 1 therefore passes upward and backward through the upper part of the producer forming producer gas and causing by their heat the distillation of YtheV green fuel. The gases of distillation together with the producer gas and also air from the atmosphere (or air and steam) pass down through the openings Z n into the space m under the arch f, become ignited by the heat of the chamber and the fuel and the combustion is complete before the combining gases reach the slope of the fue-l bed at the lower part of the chamber m. This arrangement of producer also minimizes the loss of heat at this point, so that the gases ynow pass into the incandescent fuel in the lowerV chamber z, retaining practically the whole of their heat of combustion and are re-converted from carbon dioXid and steam to carbon monoXid and hydrogen. An excessv of air is admitted to the combustion space or chamber m to insure rapid and complete combustion, and the excess yalso provides, by its partial combination with the fuel, any heat that may be'necessary to maintain the temperature of the fuel for efiicient gas making. Steam may also be admitted to the combustion space m with the air from the arch chamber 0.

In the modification of the arch chamber shown in Fig. 2, provision is made for supplying air (or air and steam) to the fuel lying above the arch f as well as to the combustion space below it. In this construction the arch chamber is divided into two chambers 0 and 0 by a. plate o fitted in the grooves fw, Preferably, the arch chamber is formed in two parts bolted together, which construction facilitates the fitting of the dividing plate o and the renewal of the Vouterrpart of the arch chamber, while obviating the casting in one piece and the consequent liability to crack and warp. The arch chamber 0 shown in Fig. 1 may similarly be constructed as two parts bolted together to facilitate renewals.

As the fuel is consumed in the lower part of the producer the partly burnt Vfuel (coke or cinders) in the upper part falls to take its place, fresh coal being fed at intervals through the hopper. Y

In spite of the packing of the fuel at the constriction point, there will be to some extent a downward fiow at this point, but whatever draft there may be, will be largely satisfied from the air inlet r just above, and partly by producer gas or artlyv formed or partly burnt producer gas due to the vary ing admixtures nof the air with the gases formed in the region of the constricted area), thus eifectually preventing a downward flow of distillates by this route. Such gases as pass this way do not vitiate the gas,

but are converted into producer gasV in lthe iassage through the fuel to the outlet. It will thus be seen that it isv sufficient to offer a resistance to the draft at the constriction point without having to stop it altogether. Y

in some cases, a valve or damper may be fitted to still further constrict the area at this part.

We claim: Y

l. A gas producer having a wall forming Y a constricted area and dividing the interior of the producer into an upper chamber and a lower chamber to contain the fuel, a combustion chamber forming a passageway between the upper part of the lower chamber and the upper part of the upper chamber for the gases formed in the upper chamber, and means for introducing air into said combustion chamber and mixing such air with said gases after passing from the upper cham- Y ber to cause burning thereof in the combustion chamber and thereby destroy the hydrocarbon distillatesin said gases before the same reach the lower chamber, the lower part of the Vlower chamber being open to permit passage of the producer gas from the combustion chamber downwardly through the ineandescentfuel in the lower chamberv to an outlet. Y

2. A gas producer having an arch or sloping wall projecting from the back toward the front thereof and forming a constricted area, openings being formed through the top of the arch or sloping wall to conduct the distillates to the combustion space below said arch, and air or air and steam inlets leading into said openings at the top of the arch or sloping wall.

3. A gas producer having an arch or sloping wall projecting from the back toward the front thereof, anda hollow chamber at the bottom of said arch or wall having vents therein.

ln testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. i Y

CHARLES HENRY THOMAS ALSTON. PEROIVAL TURNER. HOUSTON. TWitnesses:

JOSEPH MILLARD, W. I. SKERTEN.

llO

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Y

Washington, D. C. 

